He Started It(92)
AUTHOR’S NOTE
He Started It is, in many ways, a journey. Not just a journey for the family of characters but also a journey through much of the United States. For me, that meant doing a lot of research about where to go and what to see.
First, I have to note that with the exception of national chains like the Holiday Inn and Applebee’s, all of the motels and restaurants are fictional.
Second, all of the attractions, tourist sites, and museums in this book are real. From Helen Keller’s house in Alabama to the Codger Pole in Washington, every one of these places is open to the public. And they are amazing! There are so many fun, unusual things to see in this country that it would be impossible to visit them all. The ones in He Started It are just a small selection of what is out there.
Much of my research was done online, so I must give a very big thanks to Roadside America, Only in Your State, Trip Advisor, and Wikipedia for providing all the facts about so many attractions across the country.
Because this is a work of fiction, I did take a bit of creative license with one particular location. The UFO Watchtower in Center, Colorado, first opened for business in May of 2000. The first road trip in He Started It took place nine months earlier, in August of 1999. I wanted to include this attraction enough to fudge the date just a little in order to use it.
I highly recommend everyone stop and see all of these wonderful places if you have a chance!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
They said the second book is the hardest. They said it would be so much worse than the first. I heard all of this before beginning to work on He Started It and I didn’t believe them. After all, I wrote several books before My Lovely Wife was published. This wasn’t my first rodeo.
Now that I’ve been through the second book, I can say without a shadow of a doubt:
They were right.
That means I have an extraordinary number of people to thank for making this book a reality.
Beginning with my incredible agent, Barbara Poelle, who listened to me vent an untold number of times throughout the process of getting this book completed—and somehow she is still my agent. I couldn’t ask for anyone better.
My editor, Jen Monroe. With a never-ending amount of patience and skill, she managed to guide this book from what was basically a first draft into a finished novel (and she dragged me kicking and screaming the whole way).
Lauren Burnstein, my publicist at Berkley, who I swear gets more done in a day then I get done in a week. She manages to get the most amazing coverage for my books.
Fareeda Bullert and Jessica Mangicaro, the marketing wizards of Berkley who perform miracles. I don’t know how they do what they do, but I am grateful for it.
My copyeditor, Scott Jones, who not only checks my grammar but fact-checked every single thing in the book and I am so happy he did!
Emily Osborne and Anthony Ramondo, who are the most incredible cover designers on the planet.
A big thanks to Joel Richardson and the whole Michael Joseph team in the UK, who have done such a fantastic job promoting both My Lovely Wife and He Started It.
Over the past couple of years, I have met so many talented and amazing authors. Several have been kind enough to read early copies of this book and provide wonderful blurbs for it. Thank you to Mary Kubica, Christina McDonald, Kaira Rouda, Wendy Walker, Hannah Mary McKinnon, Samantha Bailey, Michele Campbell, Mark Edwards, and Maureen Connelly. Your words are invaluable!
I also have to thank all of the amazing booksellers I was able to meet this year, and I was so lucky to visit some of your amazing bookstores. A special thanks to Garden District Books in New Orleans; Murder by the Book in Houston; Anderson’s in LaGrange, Illinois; Book Passage in Corte Madera, Calfornia; and Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee. Many, many thanks to Pamela Klinger-Horn, Britton Trice, Mary O’Malley, Daniel Goldin, the Petrocelli family, and McKenna Jordan for being such wonderful supporters.
To the book bloggers, bookstagrammers, online reviewers, and podcasters: No author would be where they are without all of you!
To the readers, the wonderful people who have this book in their hands: Thank you for coming on this journey with me. I cannot express how grateful I am.
I would never have been published without the help and support of my two main writing besties, Rebecca Vonier and Marti Dumas, who always tell me the truth. I can’t ask for more than that.
My day job “work family” has been incredibly supportive of my new career, and for this I am so thankful.
Last but never least, my family. I would not be here at all without your love and support!
Readers Guide for
HE STARTED IT
Questions for Discussion
1. What was your initial opinion of Beth, Portia, and Eddie? How did it change throughout the book?
2. Would you go on a cross-country road trip with your family for an inheritance? How much money would it take?
3. When you first read the journal entries, what did you think of them?
4. Who was your favorite sibling in the book? Least favorite?
5. What tourist attraction did you find the most interesting? Are there any you would like to see?
6. Why do you think Grandpa took them on the road trip when they were kids?
7. Who would you have sided with: Grandpa or Nikki?
8. Did you think Nikki was going to return alive after twenty years? Why or why not?